Young Americans
by DC Redux
Summary: After spending an eternity on Paradise Island, Diana Prince and Steve Trevor return to Man's World only to find that they have missed the war they swore to fight and landed in 2017. Steve seems content to live in a faux-Pax Americana but Diana yearns to turn the world into something better. To be someone better. [AU with elements from the comics] [Part of the DC Redux Universe]


**This story is set in the DC Redux Universe, which is currently being crafted by three other, brilliant writers. Check out our fanfic page to see what we've done with the rest and keep your eye out for crossovers. But for now...**

* * *

 _ **DC Redux Proudly Presents**_

 _ **Diana Prince, Wonder Woman**_

 **in**

 **Young Americans**

* * *

 _In a realm that existed beyond man's conception of time and space…_

 _On an island forged from stardust..._

 _There lived the amazons._

 _Immortal women blessed by the gods as the eternal mistresses of art, philosophy and culture._

 _For almost an eternity they lived in peace and harmony, waiting to return to the world of men._

 _And one day they were given a sign._

 _The day the skies went black._

 _The day, for the first time in Amazon history, a man stepped foot on Paradise Island._

 _Steve Trevor of America._

 _The American spoke of a Great War that had spread across the entirety of Patriarch's World._

 _He spoke of false kings, mass slaughter and planet-wide suffering._

 _And upon hearing of these atrocities, the Amazons chose a champion to return to the world of men and save humanity from themselves._

 _A champion who would embody the greatest physical, mental and spiritual attributes of each and every one of her sisters._

 _A champion named Diana._

* * *

 **-Chapter One-**

" _ **Plastic Soul"**_

 **By Joey West**

* * *

Below the ochre rays of the slowly setting Themysciran sun, Princess Diana of the Amazons stood on the edge of a glistening emerald cliff, her back to the smooth sapphire seas of Paradise Island. This was her day. Every woman in the land stood in a crowd, which stretched far down into the cities, to watch the ceremony which would name the Princess _'champion of the Amazons'_ and set her on her voyage into Patriarch's World. Apollo smiled down on her as the sun grew into the goldest gold, Poseidon cheered on as the seas became still and Demeter delighted as the grass became the greenest green.

The Princess spread her arms, her body absorbing the light breeze which flew along the cliff and channeling it through her flowing, jet-black hair. She stood naked but for a thin blue robe and her pair of unbreakable bracelets, her feet clawing at the soil below. In the crowd she could spot her friends (the golden-haired Mala, the muscular Aleka, the genius Areto and the oracle Castalia- among others) who chattered in excitement and glee for their Amazon sister. Standing at the very front of the legion of Amazons was the small but tight-knit Amazon Royal family, (Diana's aunts: Antiope, Melanippe and Orithyia) and next to them was the real reason why everyone was gathered here, Corporal Steve Trevor. The only man on Paradise Island. He stood amongst the crowd, dressed in a tatty grey tank top and military khakis. The two lovingly smiled at each other, Diana beginning to chuckle when she noticed the giant wooden briefcase he held in his hands.

The two had spent a lot of time with each other since the Gods allowed Trevor to slip through the dimensional barrier between Themyscira and Patriarch's World (or simply Planet Earth, as Steve had referred to it), too much time if you'd have asked Aleka or any one of Diana's aunts. Steve had told her such grand and beautiful stories of America, the greatest and freest country in the world of man. Diana had taught him the legends of the Amazons, of the victories of old Queen Marpesia and General Antiope and the battle between her mother and Heracles, in which the warrior woman had reclaimed her girdle and her rightful place as ruler of the realm of Themyscira. Steve had taught her how to dance whilst Diana had taught him how to paint and draw. They had all the time in the world. At least they felt so.

The crowd began to part as their Queen made her way through towards her daughter on the back of a snowy Pegasus. Hippolyta wore matching white ceremonial robes with golden bracelets coating her wrists, signifying her majesty. On separate pegasi, following behind their queen, were members of the Amazon Royal Guard who held each individual piece of the iconic image that Patriarch's World would come to know the Princess of Paradise as. Wrapped around the amazon queen's face and clinging tight was a mask of fulfilment and joy, which had almost everyone on the island fooled. She had every excuse to express her reluctance in letting her daughter go and her people would never fault her for it, compassion was and always will be an amazon's highest held principle, but she saw it as her duty to Diana (and her sisters) to show her support. So she rode up to the end of the cliff, trying not to think about the eternity that she would have to spend without her child and turning her mind back to the eternity she spent watching her grow. Once she reached her daughter, she dismounted her Pegasus, giving it a stroke on the neck as she waited for the Royal Guard to catch up to her.

As the Amazon Royal Guard united around their Queen, she looked upon her people, absorbing the excitement that they exhibited. Hippolyta then pulled a horn from her belt and blew into it with all of her lungs, the sound that projected from it spreading far across the land. A silence fell upon the crowd. The ceremony had truly begun. She turned to her daughter, speaking, "Princess Diana, you have been chosen champion of the Amazons. You have been selected as an emissary to Patriarch's World, as an embodiment of all of the greatest physical, mental and spiritual attributes of each and every one of your Amazon sisters. Your mission is to end war in the world of man. To save humanity from itself."

Hippolyta then reached behind, one of her sisters passing to her the bright rose red breastpiece of Diana's armour. She wrapped it around her daughter's abdomen and tightly tied it up at the back, running her fingers across the shimmering steel eagle that stretched across the spine to the chest area. "Forged from the scales of the Charybdis. Blessed by our goddess **Artemis** to keep you safe."

Then came a tiara, which glowed a blindingly bright white in the slowly setting sun. Diana parted her wavy black hair with her fingers and pushed it back with her palms as her mother slipped the moulded piece of metal behind her daughter's ears and rested it on her forehead. "A tiara forged from the stars, blessed by our goddess **Aphrodite**."

A silver girdle then found its way around her waist, a dark navy blue skirt with contrastingly bright white stars littered all over hanging from below it and stopping just above the Amazon princess's knees. Hippolyta explained, "My own girdle, bequeathed unto me by **Athena** , taken back from the hands of the vicious Heracles and altered, upon your request, to reflect the flag of the freest land in Patriarch's World."

A pair of long, bright red boots then found themselves easily and slenderly slipping up past Diana's feet and stopping just before her knees. The Princess took note of the glowing gold tip and soles, her mother then explaining that they were blessed by Hermes.

"And finally." Hippolyta spoke. "Crafted from the locks of **Hestia** , goddess of hearth, home and sisterhood. Your lasso of _truth_. It will transport you from _anywhere_ to _anyone_ in need. It also wields the power to control the fires of truth, making anyone bound to it unable to lie."

The Amazon Queen handed the enchanted lasso to her daughter, grasping tightly onto it as if holding on for dear life. Diana grabbed it, tugging it away from her mother's hand, seeing the pain and doubt in her eyes as the Queen bowed her head in sadness. The lasso had, while only momentarily, exposed Hippolyta's true feelings on the matter. As Diana held the beautiful and bright auric thread, she too felt the sudden urge to spout her feelings away. And she did. Lovingly putting her hand on her mother's shoulder, she whispered into her ear, "I'm scared too. _More_ scared than I can say I have _ever_ been in my life. But I am doing this to fulfill the dreams of the people I love, the people who raised me _-_ and that is what will pull me through. That is what will give me the strength to do what _needs_ to be done."

An overwhelming rush left the Amazon Princess's body as she clipped the lasso into her girdle, the fires of truth releasing her. The girl and her mother shared a long embrace before the Queen stepped down and gave way for her daughter's lover. Steve Trevor climbed the steps up to the end of the cliff, briefcase in hand, joining Diana, the two having a moment all to themselves as they looked into each other's eyes. As it happened, Diana felt a tapping on her knee. The briefcase. She chuckled again. "Of _all_ the things you could have decided to bring back home, you chose that?"

"Of course. Couldn't leave our song behind, could we?" Steve smiled, "It was the only one you could ever dance to."

"Ha. Well. My dancing isn't nearly as bad as your artistry." Diana laughed, "I've seen dismembered centaurs paint better than you."

"I am _telling_ you, that stuff is harder than flying a plane blindfolded."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you actually had any patience."

"Patience? I'm a man of war, Di." Steve said somewhat sarcastically but with a hint of truth to it, "You're not going to be doing a whole lot of waiting around on the frontline, I can tell you that."

"Well…"

"Oh God. Please, don't start with the whole Amazon Art of…"

"...but the Amazon Art of War…"

"Darn it." They both shared another laugh, Diana turning to the legion of Amazons who watched in bated breath for the moment to arrive. The Princess also looked to her mother, watching her break apart. She knew that every second longer she stayed, the more it would hurt the old lady. And so she turned back to Steve.

"I think it's time." Diana spoke.

"Yeah… I suppose it is." Steve sighed, his head tilting upwards to stare at the horizon, at the awe-inspiring ochre rays of the slowly setting Themysciran sun. "I'm going to miss this place. I feel like… I feel like I really got to know it, you know? I got fond of it. And now I've gotta go. I've gotta go back to- that _hell_."

"That _hell_." Diana sighed. "Well. It's our job to make it not that way. To make it a better place."

"Yeah. A better place."

Princess Diana of Themyscira reached back to her girdle, pulling her ochroid lasso forward and into the hand of Steve Trevor, who went to gaze at the sun for one last time. The sun he loved so much. The sun that shined down on paradise. Diana could not bear to look at the thing. Or at the land she loved. Or at the people she loved. She closed off her ears so that she could not hear the sounds she loved. And blocked out her nose so she could not smell the aromas she loved. She instead focused on Steve's eyes. The man who taught her how to dance, or at least tried to. She stared and stared as the lasso did its job, beginning to burn brighter than the biggest flame imaginable as it formed an ethereal shell around the two, taking her to a foreign world and him home.

 _ **...Everything went white.**_

 _...white._

...white.

A metallic monster rushed past, screeching as it brought an angry mob of air in its wake. The two swerved out of the way of it, Diana gasping in fear, almost frozen in her place, while Steve watched it gallop away, curious. He had seen cars like that before but never so streamlined or fast. The machine had flown by them like a jet-plane. The smell of crackling rubber and human waste hit Diana like a Freight-train, awakening her from her wondrous and shell-shocked haze and dropping her into the new reality that she would have to face. Surrounding her were old and massive run-down, corroded and corrupted structures that were dressed up in colourfully and creatively written words. Scattered around the dark and deceptive spaces between these structures were men, women and the odd child. They hid under balconies and thin roofs, haggard and hungry, staring, shocked at and somewhat scared by the two lovers who stood surrounded by enchantingly bright white light in the middle of the road. Thunder cracked her ears as lightning stabbed the ground before her, rain then beginning to serve as a baptism for the two. Diana's mind concluded that Zeus was probably trying to tell her something. Something important. She turned to Steve, horrified at what she had seen, and silently asked, _what kind of place is this?_

Steve continued focusing on all of the new, pretty lights that were projected around his old home, confused at his own sudden unfamiliarity with the place. It looked like America. There were even signs that said "Gateway City", a place he had visited in his childhood during the 1930s, but something was different. A lot had changed. Some things seemed older. More rusty and rotten. Other things were newer. More glittery and glamorous. He eventually took notice of the derelict buildings and the destitution but it didn't phase him. He grew up during the Great Depression, he had seen poverty before, some of it much worse than this. By time the war came along, the man had just accepted it as a fact of life.

From the distance came a heavy hum which grew and grew. It was headed straight for them. With it came an army of sterile white lights which brightened and put a spotlight upon the sorry scene that the two had dropped in on. Like a pride of lions, five bright hot pink lamborghinis hungrily hastened towards a new discovery. Something from another dimension. Somebody from another dimension. Leading the pack was the affluent, accomplished and astute CEO of CaleCo, Veronica Cale. Beaming with joy, Cale's foot pressed down hard on the gas, her eyes fixed on her target. This was it. The culmination of a year of work. This was what she founded Godwatch for. Ever since Lex Luthor started telling stories of flying men with fire shooting from their eyes, Cale had been secretly watching the world on all ends, searching for gods. A few had emerged since and were in the public's eye: Luthor's own Superman, The Flash of Central City, angels of death in China, rainbow dragons in Europe- but this one was hers. In a few moments, Cale would have her own God to do as she pleased with, and, behold, it was very good.

Despite the fact that her vehicle was speeding far above the limit, Cale was able to gracefully end the car's journey right in front of the "God" she wished to control, creating a small wave of water that shot from beneath both front wheels. Her headlights created the silhouette of a loving but fearful embrace, hiding the faces of Cale's Gods in shadow, increasing the billionaire's intrigue and leaving her in suspense. She almost leaped through the door until letting herself take a moment and realise that she needed to assert her power over whoever it was standing in the street.

The driver's door dramatically swung open, Diana and Steve watching a slender but strong leg drop out, planting its foot firmly into the ground as it and its twin lifted the rest of the body up and out of the car. Veronica Cale stood before the two, Diana instantly struck by the cold, blue eyes which stood at both ends of her face, concealed by a rosy expression of welcoming. Dressed in sterile white motorcycle gear with a hot pink trim, the billionaire headed towards the more majestic and godly of the two, Diana, practically ignoring Steve once she took notice of his standard military gear. Cale's eyes bounced along her new goddess, taking note of her exotic features, her ancient garb and the distinct accent she muttered under her breath with. Putting her hand out, she smiled, "Welcome to America."

* * *

 _ **Months passed.**_

Steve Trevor dreamt new dreams. New dreams of old memories. Better dreams. The kind of dreams that build you up instead of breaking you down. Golden dreams of golden years- or months- or days. Steve didn't know, time was odd in Themyscira, but he didn't much care either. All he cared about was the fact that he dreamt of the time he spent there, however ambiguous the amount of time he did was. The time he taught Diana how to dance or the time she taught him how to paint and draw- their song playing throughout each and every one of these warm memories. Steve could recall every chord and every note of the piece. It was one of his favourites, a Glenn Miller classic. Its calming tune flowed in and out of his ears, gracefully swimming through like a dolphin.

As it did, on one night, Steve dreamt of he and Diana watching the bright white Themysciran moon float just above the horizon. The sea sat calm, as it always was, creating a perfect mirror of the dimension's natural satellite. And as the two watched, they did so silently, as to not disturb the peace. All they could hear was their song, the breeze and the birds. And as Steve dreamt, Diana Prince laid awake, her mind always lost in its own thoughts.

Turning within her silken sheets, which she could not stand to be without, unable to adjust to the Earth's cooler sun and crueler moon, Diana turned to the man she spent almost an eternity with in paradise. Steve Trevor laid still, his soft breathing becoming a soothing rhythm to her. Before America, before leaving Themyscira, Steve did not sleep as well. Diana could recall having to comfort him after he had haunting dreams about the war, about the friends and brothers he lost, about the sacrifices and compromises he was forced to make. She remembered the times she had to hold him until he slipped back into slumber, trying to block out his pain. He never spoke about it, not really. He only spoke of the dread he felt about coming back into it. The dread of returning to Europe and fighting in that damned war once more.

However, he didn't have to worry about that anymore. Not after the bomb was dropped. Not after the Commander-in-Chief was shot or when the one after next wept and resigned. Not after the wall collapsed or when the towers came down. Not after the first black President or anything after that. All of his friends were gone, which he had already prepared himself for, and what little family he had left were all dead, which stung a bit, but other than that, Steve got what he always wanted: a happy ending.

Diana knew that she should have been happy for him. And she partly was. She loved watching him smile, she loved watching him enjoy and live life. And that was what compelled her to stay for a good few months. But she was not happy. She could not _be_ happy. She could understand the catharsis and joy that her partner was feeling but she could not share it. It did not take long for her to begin to resent him, to see him as blinded by his own country's surface-level idea of peace. And she knew she shouldn't but she could not help those feelings from forming.

Because Diana was sent to Patriarch's World for a reason. To save humanity from itself. And though 2017 was a far cry from the horrors of the 1940s, at least the way Steve described them, the world was far from peaceful. Her inability to ignore the cruelty of the Earth eventually got to the point where every day she would sneak down the stairs and sit, legs crossed, in front of the television, watching the twenty-four hour news cycle, absorbing all of the pain, torture and suffering the planet was feeling. That was: until Cale would come knocking.

The billionaire magnate would drag the two to talk shows, to events surrounding things Diana could not even comprehend the use of, to public speeches, to anywhere and everywhere she could show them off. Cale's God and her God's man out of time. And in every one of these places, Diana would tell the same old story of Themyscira, of Paradise Island, of she, Steve and her mission. And these stories would always get the same response, something to the effect of: "Aren't you glad things are better now?"

And to that, Diana would ask, "Are they?"

Most of the time, the responses to her question would come in a variety of self-absorbed, ignorant jokes but every once in awhile, she would get something interesting.

Like the time she met Barbara Minerva, one-time teenage pop star.

Diana, Steve and Veronica were in the Great Britain, Diana set to appear in the Queen of that country's Royal Variety Performance as CaleCo's "Superwoman" (no relation to the Super-Man of Metropolis- Diana and Steve fought for a different name but Cale told them that the "Super" brand was popular and hadn't been trademarked as of yet).

Diana stood backstage, ready to face the British Royal family. An endless supply of servants tended to her makeup, which she did not like the feeling of on her face, and her outfit, which she was less than content with wearing. The whole thing was in bright chrome and silver pleather, chafing and squeezing at her body. On her chest was a circular black "S" logo that had to be changed from its previous shield design in fear of a copyright dispute. It was at the point of the fitting that a ginger haired, green eyed girl walked into the room, hoping to meet the Goddess that everyone in the world was talking about. She had stepped in on a conversation about the Royal Family, the Amazon Princess unable to understand what the purpose of them even was. "If they are not _doing_ anything, what's the point of even having a monarchy?"

"People like them." Veronica Cale tried to explain, "The Queen's a cultural icon."

"But for what?"

"Toss all." A voice exclaimed from behind in a mocking British accent, Diana standing and turning around to see where it came from once her makeup artists had dispersed. Barbara Minerva looked up at the Amazon, the ginger-haired girl dressed in an elaborate and lacy dress. Diana took note of the fact that the woman's eyes did not change when they met. Most would have an expression of amazement mixed in with inferiority and anxiety, instantly becoming sycophantic toward the Princess. Not Barbara.

Diana had seen Minerva before on posters and album covers, she had even heard a few of her songs on the radio. Everything she had saw of her up to this moment rang hollow like everything else these people worshipped. Her music was not about anything. Her image was made to pander instead of inspire. However, looking on her in flesh and blood, she seemed to be the most real person that Diana had met since she landed on Patriarch's World.

"Honestly, they're just there to be rich and look happy." Barbara headed towards Diana, putting her hand out, "Barbara Minerva."

"Diana Prince." Diana grabbed Minerva's palm and shook it.

"So… finally, I meet Ronnie's new cash cow." Barbara laughed. "And she's a good one."

"Cash cow?"

"Sorry." Ronnie cut in, coldly explaining, "Minerva is in the middle of the 'screw the establishment' part of her career. Soon she'll be into the shock value period and then she'll fall into obscurity."

"Warm welcome, Ron. Just wanted to meet the demigod." Minerva turned to Diana, "How's it going?"

"Good." Diana spoke. "Great, even."

"Great?" Barbara asked, somewhat calling Diana's bluff, leaning in close and asking, "Ronnie giving you shit?"

"Um. No." Diana spoke, feeling almost as if she was being interrogated, "No shit."

"Good. Well. If she does, give me a call." Barbara speaks quietly, almost whispering, "I've been there."

"Alright, Minerva." Cale said, putting an end to the conversation, "Diana's got a show to do."

"Got it." The ginger haired girl said, then remarking, "Monkey's gotta dance."

And dance that monkey did.

That monkey danced, sang, lifted, flew and fluttered, gaining a standing ovation from its crowd after it finished. The hollow sound brought her a little satisfaction but it was not what she was looking for. From behind she could feel the cold hand of Veronica Cale, who held a microphone, making some bad jokes, and then cutting to commercial. Diana looked to her side, her eyes peering backstage, Steve's face giving her an encouraging smile. Despite having seen her talents and gifts before, he was still as giddy as he was the first time he ever saw her. She smiled back at him.

After the performance came the party. Parties were always where Veronica would find new gigs for Diana, the amazon standing behind her and blindly saying "yes" to everything. But tonight Diana was hunting. She was hunting for Barbara Minerva, the only woman she had ever seen talk to Cale like _she_ wanted to. The only woman who would say to Cale the things Diana desperately wanted to say.

Diana found her on the balcony, a glass of cranberry juice in hand. They talked for a while until the conversation got around to where every conversation Diana had ended up going. "Aren't you glad things are better now?" Barbara asked.

"Are they?" Diana asked back.

The pop star thought for a moment, coming back with, "They're certainly easier."

"In what way?"

"It's easier to say they're better."

"Easier to be blind."

"Not blind." Barbara sighed, "Ignorant, I guess. I wouldn't say these people up here don't know any better. And a lot of them are very good at faking their caring. But the simple fact of the matter is, the majority have the power to make things better but they don't."

"Why is that?"

Minerva laughed, "That's a whole other can of worms, girl." She turned to look at the London skyline, "I'm sure they all have their own unique reasons."

"Heh. What's Veronica's?" Diana asked. "What's _her_ reason?"

"No idea."

"Hmn."

"I stopped trying to understand Ronnie Cale a long time ago. We were even together for a- short- time. But no. That woman never let me in on what was going on in there." Barbara said as he tapped on the side of her own head. She then looked at Diana, who had suddenly become silent, telling her to "Just ask."

"Ask what?"

"If you should leave. It's clearly what's on your mind. I've seen that look before."

"Hmn." Diana let out a conflicted sound before asking, "Should I?"

"You want my honest opinion?"

"Of course."

"You were obviously meant for bigger and better things than being someone's dancing monkey. There's a whole world out there. A whole world that could use someone like you."

"Someone with powers? Like that super-man?"

"Someone with goodness in their heart." Barbara spoke back, then continuing, "Get out there. Help people. Do what you want to do."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Steve."

"He doesn't want to go with you?"

"I haven't asked." Diana then paused for a second before saying, "But I know he's happy here."

"I'd have thought he'd have wanted the same thing."

"You must understand. When he landed on Paradise Island, he'd just gone through _hell_. He'd lost friends, he'd seen awful… terrible things. He'd seen the worst that people are capable of. And what he'd seen kept him up all night." Diana held back a tear, "And now he sleeps like a babe. And I simply cannot take that away from him. He's earned his peace."

A week passed.

Steve Trevor woke with a buzz, as he did on most mornings, a spring in his step and a kiss to the forehead, which he'd always feel just as he was about to wake up. He stretched out like a kitten in front of the warm Los Angeles sun, pulling a shirt over his muscular chest and some bottoms over his legs. He slipped his arms into his robe, then tying it at the waist.

When he hopped down the stairs he was surprised to find the television turned off, his love not sitting in front of it like a child like she usually was in the morning. Instead, he found her in the kitchen, which was also a surprise as she rarely used it, making herself and her partner something they hadn't enjoyed in a while. It was an old Paradisian dish made of wheat, milk, eggs and a variety of different herbs and spices.

Diana smiled at him when she caught him in her view, whisking up the ingredients she had bought from the market in a bowl. Once she was done they sat down at the table, which was rarely used, and enjoyed their breakfast, which was accompanied with glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice. Steve wouldn't stop asking what the occasion was but Diana kept silent until they both finished, then saying, "I've something to ask you."

"Oh. Well. What is it?"

"Are you happy?"

"Happy?"

"Happy."

"I. Uh. Yeah. How could I not be? I have _you_. I have _all_ of this…" Steve paused before asking, "Are you?" Diana took a sip of her orange juice, forgetting what she was going to say. He then asked, "Is there… is there something wrong, dear?"

"No." She lied.

"Well. You know I love you, right? And you can tell me anything… right?"

"Yes. Of course." Diana took another sip. She thought long and hard before asking, "Does it still… hurt?"

"What?"

"Ending up here. In 2017. Losing all of the years that you lost."

"It stings a bit… yeah." Trevor spoke with a lump in his throat, "But I had a whole lifetime in Themyscira. In paradise. With you. We had more time than anyone could ever dream of together. We _have_ more time than anyone could ever dream of."

"What're we going to do with the time we have left?"

"What we're doing right now seems like a pretty good option."

"Nothing?"

"Is that what _this_ is about?"

"Look." Diana sighed, "I know you're happy here. And you've earned it. You've earned all of this. I can't even imagine what you went through in the war. And I cannot be mad at you for loving all of this…"

"But?"

"But I was sent here for a reason."

"The war's over, Diana."

"But look at this world. It still needs healing. Your mission may be over but mine… I feel like I could be out there. Helping people. Doing something. It's… that's _my_ mission… and…"

"Di…"

"...and I understand if you want to stay… if you _need_ to stay… but there are people suffering all over this world who are begging- calling out- for someone to help them. And it's my duty to do that."

"...But things are better now."

"Are they?"

"Diana, I…" Steve spoke before cutting himself off, remembering the horror show they had landed in when they first arrived in 2017, " _Jesus_."

"Steve."

"Diana…" Steve began to break up, "I can't go back to war. I won't. I don't want to. It's _too much_ for me."

"And you don't have to. I'm sorry. This isn't your fault. None of this… none of it is _your_ fault." Diana spoke compassionately, holding Steve's hands, "We just don't want the same thing."

"Diana."

"We had all the time in the world. We had more time than anyone could ever dream of. We had an eternity."

"We _lived_ for 75 years."

"And I don't want us to die for _however_ many more. And I know you don't want us to either."

Steve stopped, beginning to fold in on himself before asking, "Can we… can we just have today? Just. One more day. Please?"

And they had that day.

And they spent it like they would spend any other day. There was no "for the last time" about it, there was no sense of finality to it. They spent that one last day like there would be days upon days to come after it. They made plans for days to come. They made days for plans to come. They smiled at each other as they would every day. They embraced as they would every day. They kissed as they would every day. And at the end of the day, they went to bed like they would every night. The only difference was that Diana slept well, her arm around the waist of her closest friend. In the morning, she leaned over, kissing Steve on the forehead, as she always would after waking.

Diana journeyed into a small closet they had which they barely used, dusting off and taking out the costume her Amazon sisters had crafted for her. All of that seemed so long ago. The red breastpiece, the glowing white tiara, the silver girdle with the blue skirt, the bright red boots and the golden lasso. Without even needing to think, she held onto the weave, letting it take her anywhere and everywhere. She disappeared, almost as if she was never there.

Steve woke soon after that, going back into the small closet which they had barely used. From it he pulled a suitcase, which contained a record player, as well as a typically large, flat, black vinyl disk. He snapped it onto the machine, then putting the needle against the vinyl. A sweet symphony played. Corporal Steve Trevor of the US Army sat back, alone for the first time in 70 or so years, his and Diana's song's calming tune gracefully swimming in and out of his ears like a dolphin. Moonlight Serenade. A Glenn Miller classic.

"Da. Da da da. Da da da. Da da da _._ Da da da, _da."_ He hummed to the tune, twirling his finger with a bittersweet smile painted onto his face.

* * *

 **End Chapter**.

 **Stay tuned for more chapters in this series. While you're at it, check out some of the older Wave I DC Redux titles in this bold new universe, which include: Batman: Beyond Gotham by Ivan Krolo, Green Lantern: The Book of Oa by Bodhi Ouellette, The Flash: Incandescent Legacy by James Brady, Green Arrow: KIA by George Jones and 21st Century Super-Man, also written by Joey West.**

 **Also be sure to check out some of the other NEW Wave II DC Redux titles coming out, such as, Catwoman: Valentina by Bodhi Ouellette and the anthology title, DC Redux Showcase Presents by various authors.**


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